A. Plan of Investigation
The purpose of this investigation is to analyze the extent to which foot binding reflected the roles of women in Neo-Confucianism China. Foot binding is a centuries old Chinese tradition that first began during the Neo-Confucianism era of China. Young girls had their feet tightly bound to prevent any growth. It was first popular with the upper social classes to show that the women were privileged enough that they didn’t have to work but the practice soon spread down to lower social classes as well. The main body of the investigation will analyze why foot binding became a tradition and how it affected the roles and views on women during the tenth century. Evidence includes neo-Confucianism texts about foot binding as well as accounts of women who still had their feet bound since although it was made illegal in 1911, the tradition still continued in rural villages. An analysis of these sources will then come to the conclusion of the effects foot binding had.
B. Summary of Evidence
The foot binding of women (and young children) in China began during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), in the 10th century. 1
Women who had bound feet were seen as higher in status1 – not having to perform manual…show more content… She interviewed photographer Jo Farrell who travelled to China in order to photograph and interview elderly women whose feet were bound in their young age. The purpose of this article is to rely firsthand accounts of the women who had their feet bound and the struggles they went through. It consists of the experiences of three different Chinese women, all who lived in rural areas and had their feet bound. The article goes into detail about the women and how the tradition affected them individually. The author gives an account into both the physical and mental struggles and challenges that these women